Easy Beef Wellington Recipe

If you're having guests over for dinner and are aiming to impress, you'll want to make something that's sure to wow — and beef wellington will definitely do the trick! While this dish is often served for special occasions, such as Christmas dinner, it can certainly be enjoyed any time of the year.

A tender filet of beef wrapped up in delicate puff pastry, beef wellington can be an intimidating dish to tackle at first glance. But recipe developer and food photographer Petar Marshall is here to show us an easy way to pull it off. A traditional beef wellington is made with what's called a duxelle, which is a finely chopped and cooked mixture often featuring mushrooms, onions, and herbs. This easy beef wellington recipe captures the same concept, but puts together a delicious dish with fewer ingredients and fewer steps, so any cook can master the recipe in their own kitchen. By the end of it, you'll have a juicy, savory, delightful dinner — so let's get right into it.

Ready to dive into making beef wellington at home? First, gather all of your ingredients to make the process that much smoother. For this recipe, you'll need a quality beef filet, two finely chopped onions, finely chopped mushrooms, a thawed box of puff pastry, an egg, and salt and pepper to taste. "The beef is the star of the show, with the duxelle puff pastry dressing it up," says Marshall. "The center cut portion of a beef tenderloin offers you the most delicious meat to utilize. And, to make your prep super easy? Marshall suggests chopping the onions and mushrooms in a food processor to save time. 

With your ingredients ready, it's time to dive in on making beef wellington. First, start by seasoning the meat with salt and pepper. Be sure to thoroughly cover the meat with seasoning, including the top, bottom, and both sides. "Much of the seasoning cooks out, so be sure to season generously with this step," says Marshall.

Once the meat is seasoned, it's ready to sear. Searing the meat will give it a head start on cooking time, so the puff pastry won't need to be in the oven as long. Turn the stovetop to medium-high heat. Sear the meat in a skillet on all sides, but be sure not to cook the meat all the way. Once it's seared, transfer the meat to a plate, and place it in the fridge to allow it to cool.

While the meat is cooling, it's time to make the simple duxelle. Be sure your mushrooms and onions are finely chopped for this step. Use the same skillet you used for the meat to cook the mushrooms and onions mixture, on medium heat. "It's important to cook all of the moisture out of the mixture," says Marshall. "Keep an eye on the mixture, cooking for about one hour." Once the duxelle is ready, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool. Preheat the oven to 425 F while you wait. 

Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper, roll out one piece of the puff pastry, and place it on the baking sheet. If you have a larger piece of meat, Marshall suggests that you use both sheets of puff pastry and merge them together. Once the duxelle has slightly cooled, spread the mixture onto the puff pastry with a spatula, and be sure to leave room around the edges.

Once the mushroom and onion mixture has been added to the puff pastry, you're ready to wrap the meat. Place the seared filet in the middle of the puff pastry sheet. Gently wrap the puff pastry around the meat, and tuck in the sides. To make the egg wash to top the puff pastry, mix together the egg with one teaspoon of water. Whisk it with a fork, and then brush the egg wash on the prepared loaf. "This will help to give nice, even browning to the puff pastry," says Marshall.

After adding the egg wash, score the top of the beef wellington with a knife and place the baking sheet in the oven. Bake the beef wellington for 45 minutes. Remove it from the oven once cooked and garnish the dish with sprigs of fresh thyme and coarse salt, if desired, before slicing and serving. And that's it! With just a few simple steps, you've made a decadent dinner that is sure to impress at your next party. Fine dining doesn't have to be too complicated, and this easy beef wellington recipe is proof!